Arrival in Jackson Hole for your Grand Teton and Yellowstone expedition!

Arrive in Jackson, WY to start your Winter Yellowstone and Grand Teton Adventure! Our guide will meet you for a welcome dinner, where you will get to know other guests and prepare to explore winter in the American Serengeti. This is one of the quietest times of year to visit Grand Teton and Yellowstone, meaning we will be among a dedicated few experiencing the park during this incredible time of year.

Meals: Dinner
Lodging: Wyoming Inn or Similar

Sunrise Wildlife Safari in Grand Teton National Park and horse-drawn sleigh ride on the National Elk Refuge

We’ll get an early start from the town of Jackson to catch the first light hit the 40-mile long Teton Range. Wildlife are concentrated in the valley so we’ll visit hotspots to photograph moose, foxes, coyotes, eagles, and waterfowl, and we'll search for elusive wolves. In the afternoon, we’ll take a private horse-drawn sleigh ride through the National Elk Refuge for up-close photographs of the wintering elk herd, which numbers in the thousands. Bighorn sheep are also wintering in the valley so we’ll visit Miller Butte for photographs of these majestic animals. 

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Lodging: Wyoming Inn or Similar

Jackson Hole to Yellowstone National Park and Old Faithful

Today we rise early to head for the Winter Wonderland of Yellowstone National Park!  After catching sunrise in Grand Teton National Park, we’ll arrive at Yellowstone’s south entrance to switch vehicles. Yellowstone’s interior roads are closed to wheeled vehicles in winter so we will use private snowcoaches to venture over the snow to the Old Faithful Snowlodge. Located in the world famous Upper Geyser Basin, the lodge is just steps away from Old Faithful geyser and dozens of other thermal features. Tonight: relax by the fire with a select few guests of the lodge or take a starlit stroll through the steaming geyser basin!

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Lodging: Old Faithful Snowlodge

Private Snowcoach Tour along the Madison River and to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

After a hot breakfast, we will board a private snowcoach for a full day of exploring the interior of Yellowstone. We’ll search for wildlife along the Madison River, including the elusive bobcat, waterfowl, coyotes, elk, and even wolves. Heading north, we will visit the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and take in the view of the 308-ft Lower Falls as it cascades behind a giant ice dam formed from the mist. Weather depending, we’ll venture out into the Hayden Valley to observe the stillness of winter, searching for trumpeter swans who have migrated here to winter in the thermally heated Yellowstone River.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Lodging: Old Faithful Snowlodge

Old Faithful to Mammoth Hot Springs 

Today we head north for Mammoth Hot Springs and the wolf and wildlife hotspot that is Yellowstone’s Northern Range. Before we depart the interior of Yellowstone, we’ll stop to observe geyser basins such as Grand Prismatic Spring (the largest in the park), waterfalls, and any wildlife sightings we might encounter. Departing the snowcoach at Mammoth Hot Springs, we’ll walk the travertine terraces which overlook historic Fort Yellowstone. Our luggage and EcoTour vehicle awaits at the historic Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel or lodging in nearby Gardiner, MT. Night in Mammoth or Gardiner, MT.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Lodging: Mammoth Hotel or Similar

Wolf and wildlife-watching in Yellowstone’s Northern Range and the Lamar Valley

We’ve arrived at the Northern Range of Yellowstone. Home to the largest remaining wild bison herd on Earth, the Northern Range is also where wolves were successfully reintroduced in 1995 after being eradicated nearly 70 years prior. Today, we’ll be exploring the home ranges of at least four packs—winter is prime time for wolf-viewing.  After lunch in Cooke City, we will return to the park, stopping to look for moose along Soda Butte Creek, as well as bighorn sheep and mountain goats high atop peaks in the Absaroka Mountains. We’ll seek out photography opportunities including the Lamar Valley and waterfalls via short hikes before returning to Mammoth or Gardiner for a private dinner presentation by a Yellowstone Wolf Biologist.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Lodging: Mammoth Hotel or Similar

Winter wildlife of Yellowstone’s Northern Range, the Paradise Valley, and Bozeman, MT

Our final full day begins again in the Northern Range of Yellowstone. We’ll search for more rare species like river otters, ermine, and great gray owls while taking in opportunities to view wolves, elk, bison, eagles and other animals. We’ll have opportunities to view and photograph frozen waterfalls before departing the park and heading out through the aptly named Paradise Valley.  As we follow the Yellowstone River downstream towards Livingston, MT, numerous opportunities to view wintering wildlife abound, including pronghorn antelope, whitetail and mule deer, rough-legged hawks, bald eagles, bighorn sheep, elk, and bison.  We will arrive in Bozeman in the evening for a farewell dinner. Night in Bozeman MT at the Element Hotel or similar.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Lodging: Element Hotel or Similar

Depart Bozeman

Shuttle service to the Bozeman Airport can be arranged by your hotel.  For those wishing to extend their trip, Bozeman offers numerous opportunities for shopping, the dinosaur-filled Museum of the Rockies, or skiing at nearby Bridger Bowl. Please let us know if you would like assistance with any additions to your itinerary. info@jhecotouradventures.com 307-690-9533